


Fare thee well, thou best and dearest

by Samsonet



Series: Love but you, and you forever [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: M/M, there's sex in this one but like... sadly not a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:14:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21626623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samsonet/pseuds/Samsonet
Summary: Leon's not the champion anymore, and doesn't that change everything?
Relationships: Champion Leon/Gym Leader Raihan
Series: Love but you, and you forever [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1558693
Comments: 10
Kudos: 271





	Fare thee well, thou best and dearest

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Robert Burns' "Ae Fond Kiss."

Raihan is there with the rest of the region when Leon loses and the world turns upside down.

It doesn’t feel real. It feels unnatural, wrong. The great Leon, losing to a kid who just started training Pokémon a few months ago. Nobody expected it. Still, it happens.

Raihan notes the way Leon’s face changes. He’s never seen Leon lose before, but as a rival and a friend he thinks he knows the guy well enough to feel what he’s feeling. Amazement. Frustration. Maybe even a bit of fear.

For the past ten years, Leon has been the unbeatable Champion.

For the past ten years, Raihan has been second place to the unbeatable Champion.

He catches Leon in the locker room after the match. The poor guy looks shaken: he’d left the cape on the pitch, and the hat with the crown design got thrown who knows where. The kingly costume gone, he looks more like the commoner from Postwick that Raihan met so many years ago.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” Leon smiles, almost a grimace. “Always thought it would be you that eventually beat me. Sorry it wasn’t.”

“Don’t talk like that! We’re still gonna do exhibition matches every once in a while, right?”

He plants a hand on Leon’s shoulder, the same way he does after all _their_ matches. Leon puts his own hand over Raihan’s, same as always, but then…

Leon lets out a wavering breath. “I don’t know, Rai. I don’t know where to go from here.”

This would be the appropriate time for some wise advice and encouragement. Raihan has given plenty before — but mostly to kids and teens losing at his gym. All his usual comments would seem patronizing, here.

So he hugs Leon, squeezing him tight for a moment, and then says: “For now, go tell the world how incredible Galar’s new crown princess is. You can figure out your next steps later.”

*

The day after the match, when the world is settling in to the idea that the battle actually did count and there actually was a new champion, a reporter asks Raihan if he now considers Gloria his rival.

As a gym leader, he probably should say yes. The whole tournament structure demanded that leaders consider other league members rivals, didn’t it? Especially if next year’s season went like all the others ( _except this one_ ), and Raihan would be battling _her_ for the title.

He wants to say yes.

But when it comes down to it… Gloria, for all her talents, is still a kid. When they first met, she stood on tiptoes and reached her arms up high, and even then she couldn’t reach his nose.

A worthy opponent, sure. A little sister figure, probably. A rival?

He tells the reporter: “Glo considers Hop her rival, doesn’t she? Far be it from me to try to break that up. No, my number one rival is still Leon!”

*

He doesn’t see Leon in person for three months.

*

 **@Hammerlocke241:** @ChampionLeon hey  
15k Likes 3k Retweets

 **@Hammerlocke241:** @ChampionLeon you still alive, dude?  
28k Likes 3k Retweets

 **@Hammerlocke241:** @ChampionLeon answer your phone or I’m calling Hop  
29k Likes 24k Retweets

*

As it happens, the next time they meet is a league event to promote the Battle Tower.

They battle at Wyndon Stadium, and the crowd loves it. They’ve missed their old Champion — and of course, Raihan has too.

Their battle tells the same story it always does: Leon, the defending king; Raihan, the invading dragon.

He still loses, of course. Leon knows him too well.

The part after, though? The part where they shake hands and walk off the pitch together?

It feels normal.

Raihan would usually spend time hanging out with fans, but tonight he wants to try something else.

He whispers to Leon: “Hey, you wanna come back to my place?”

*

It’s not the champion suite, but it’s comfortable enough: silk sheets, solid bed, thick walls —

(Yeah, he’s been thinking about this ever since that one time. Who would blame him?)

Part of him wants to grab Leon by the shoulders and push him into the mattress. Wants to tear off that cravat and the waistcoat ( _“You’re an athlete, man, this posh look doesn’t suit you —”_ ) and leave them in piles on the floor. Wants to be rough. Wants to bite.

Maybe, if Raihan had ever beaten Leon-as-champion, he would have done that.

Now, though, he wants to be gentle.

He takes Leon’s hat, helps him out of the coat.

His own uniform doesn’t need any care. He tosses the hat and jacket aside; if they get wrinkled, so what.

There’s one more thing he needs to ask, though: “Hey. So! Are you. Like. Okay. With having sex now? I mean -- no more title between us, no more abuse of power, right?”

It’s a delicate way of asking _Hey, are you emotionally ready for this, now that you’ve had some time to recover from having to question the core of your identity since you’re no longer the champion that you’ve been for literally your entire adult life?_

Leon looks at him with those golden eyes.

“I’m ready.”

*

He sits Leon down on the edge of the bed, then gets on his knees in front of him. Of course, with how tall Raihan is, they’re still almost face-to-face.

Raihan kisses him, soft and slow. Leon pushes forward, but Raihan grabs him by the shoulders and gently but firmly holds him in place. There’s no need to rush. They have all the time in the world.

He inches down Leon’s neck, every so often carefully scraping teeth on skin.

In the legends of the ancient kings of Galar, it’s common to see notes about the virtues of the ruler’s Pokemon partners. So brave, the storytellers say, so self-sacrificing. Less common is mention of the kings’ human partners: his knights in battle-worn armor, his wise advisors, his loyal servants. When the kingdom is invaded and the sun goes dark, it’s the humans who give their lives for the king.

Leon may not wear the crown, but Raihan’s fealty still belongs to him.

“Is this good?” he asks, softly.

Leon lets out a breathy laugh. “It’ll be better if you go faster.”

*

A phone rings.

Leon’s Rotom buzzes. “It’s Rose!”

Raihan curses. In prison a hundred miles away, and Rose still finds a way to tug on the leash.

“Do _not_ answer that.” It comes out as a growl. He still has one hand fisted in Leon’s hair. “That bastard has taken _enough_ from us --”

But Leon disentangles himself, sits up, reaches for the phone.

Damn it.

Damn it.

Damn it.

There’s a small _beep_ , the unmistakable sound of a call being declined.

“No distractions, Rai.” Leon grins. The lights shine on his face, making him look like an ancient tapestry, like a stained glass window. “Tonight, I’m free.”

**Author's Note:**

> Raihan: I'd slay a metaphorical dragon for you, bro...  
> Leon: bro...


End file.
